Down The River
by Thomas Mc
Summary: Justin and Adam go on a tubing trip down a Connecticut river on spring break weekend. They pick up two extremely cute sisters, Nancy and Brigit, who, it seems, harbor one very deep dark secret.
1. The Boys, The River and Girls

**Down The River**_  
__By Thomas Mc_**  
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******************_Note_**_: __This story is part of the '__Five of Hearts' series and tells of the romantic river adventure of Vincent and Catherine's two youngest daughters Nancy and Briget.  
_

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**Chapter 1: ****The Boys, The River and Girls**

**March 2014**

Justin waited impatiently for his cousin Adam to finish packing the watertight cooler for their trip. It was Spring break and an unusually warm spring. They were embarking on their planned tubing trip down the river. This would be their second such trip. It had been eight months since Justin had come to Connecticut to live with his cousin's parents while he finished up his degree at the nearby prestigious college. Adam was a sophomore in college and Justin was a junior. They had both become almost as close as brothers in that short time. Justin also found Adam's home life much more pleasant than his own. His parents had been going through a divorce when he moved out on his own three years ago.

Finally, they were all packed up and loaded into Justin's old sky blue truck (his pride and joy). Adam gave the old truck the once over with his eyes as he climbed into the cab. "When are you going to trade this old antique in for something built in this century?" He asked with a grin. Though Adam always teased Justin about his thirty-year-old truck, he was almost as fond of it as his cousin.

Justin put the truck in gear and pulled out onto the road. "This truck will still be around after your next dozen cars have gone to the junk yard." This was his usual response to his cousin who had already managed to wear out two cars in three years. Adam often claimed that he rarely broke the speed limit, but he did have a habit of getting up to the limit very quickly.

The next stop was at the college dorm to pick up three other buddies that were going down the river with them. Jordan, Rusty and Stephen came out to Justin's truck with a second cooler and a large waterproof floating backpack. The backpack contained ten of the popular fake inner tubes, currently un-inflated, a battery powered electric air pump and a couple of lengths of rope. Soon they were off to the river.

After a half hour, they came to the popular lower landing where most of those tubing down the river ended up. It was obvious, by the number of people and vehicles that the river was going to be pretty crowded today. It was, after all, spring break. After a few minutes of hunting, they found an open spot to park the truck. Then they had to rush to catch the next shuttle bus that ran the route up and down the river.

The bus passed two more landings on its way up the river, stopping to pick up more riders. It was now crowded to the point of absurdity with laughing teenagers, half of them soaking wet. The next three stops would be at the popular drop-off points. About half the riders got off at the first drop-off point. A very wet, bedraggled looking, couple also boarded at that stop. Adam figured that some minor disaster accounted for their condition and tried to strike up a conversation with them. It turned out that they had been on the river less than ten minutes when her tube had flipped at a shallow fast moving area and he had lost his tube when he was trying to help her out of the fast moving water. They had decided to give it up for the day and ride the bus back to their car. Adam and Justin offered their sympathies.

The bus came to the second drop off point and all but ten people got off. Very few were willing to go all the way to the farthest drop-off because of the section of rapids between the last two drop-offs. Three grinning, very wet young men got onto the bus with their still inflated tubes. They were high-fiving each other and babbling about how great it was and psyching themselves up to 'go at it again'. Six minutes later the bus came to the last stop. Everyone still left on the shuttle, except the bedraggled couple, got off. The three soaked young men headed straight for the water and had soon disappeared down the river.

Adam, Justin and their friends clustered at the dock and began inflating seven of the tubes, one for each of them and one for each of the coolers. Once finished, the electric pump was sealed in a watertight plastic bag and put back in the backpack. The coolers were then tied down into the two unoccupied tubes. One cooler with its tube was tied to Justin's tube with a six-foot length of rope. The other cooler and the backpack were attached to Rusty's tube in the same manor.

The five friends finally slipped into the water and began floating down the river as a group. They were joined by two other adventurous guys. The two other guys had also brought a cooler and were named Jeff and Eddy.

At first, the river was wide and rather slow moving. Beers came out of the coolers and they all relaxed. It would take them a bit over half the day to get all the way down the river to where Justin's truck was parked. The seven young men introduced themselves and talked about spring break and some of the things they had seen on previous tubing trips. It seemed like almost half the tales involved encountering girls in various states of undress along the river. Jeff related a tale about encountering a couple that was sharing an oversized tube and were actually 'making it' right there in the middle of the river last year. Then the talk shifted to the chances of picking up some cute girls while on the river. Word was that the odds in that direction were very good this year.

After about a mile, the river narrowed and began flowing much faster. Shortly after that, they passed a tree with a hand-lettered sign hanging from a large branch over the river. The sign said 'Abandon all hope you who pass this point'. Shortly after that, the river widened back out and became much shallower. It also was moving significantly faster as well as getting rougher. Soon everyone was hanging on as they all fought to stay in their tubes and upright.

They had just rounded a bend in the river when they came upon the three boisterous young men from the shuttle. One of them had flipped over and the other two were laughing while fighting the current trying to help him back into his tube. They finally succeeded just as Adam and Justin's group was disappearing around the next curve. A little further down the river, Jeff and Eddy got into a little bit of trouble. Justin stopped to help but Eddy said they were OK and waved Adam and Justin's group on. After another quarter mile, the river smoothed out and slowed down.

Soon they had come to the second drop-off point and the river became much more crowded. There were now a large number of girls in the mix but most of them were already paired off. A short distance beyond the drop-off a group of six unattached girls hooked up with their group and there was some playful flirting for a while as they floated down the river together.

An hour later, they came to an extremely crowded spot in the river and somehow got separated from the girls in the crush of tubes and people. Then a few seconds later Justin and Adam noticed that they had lost the other three members of their little group as well. Several hundred feet further on, they came to the apparent cause of the inner tube traffic jamb.

The sound of loud cheers wafted over the crowded river. "Did you see that?" Adam called out in surprise.

"See what?" Justin looked up from the cooler he had been digging in and glanced around.

"I would swear I just saw a naked girl drop out of that tree." Adam replied.

"You're kidding." Justin responded as he gazed in the direction his cousin had indicated.

There was a large overhanging tree with fair sized group of young men clustered in the water beneath it. There seemed to be a lot of shouting but too many were shouting at once and the content was unintelligible. Somebody in the crowd threw something small, about the size of a flashlight battery, up into the tree. About five seconds later something that looked like a piece of clothing came fluttering down and the noise increased for a moment. Then two more small items were expelled from the crowd and flew up into the tree. Shortly there after, two more colorful objects came fluttering down.

"I gotta see what's going on." Justin told Adam. "Let's move in closer."

Adam shrugged, he too was curious, and they shifted their direction of travel, working their way toward the tightly packed center of the commotion. As they approached the heart of that crowd, the peculiar sequence of actions continued. Just as they reached the outer fringes of the boisterous gathering, another of the small items flew up into the tree. A second later, a totally unclothed girl dropped out of the tree and landed in the water near the center of that group with a large splash and loud raucous cheers.

A light began to dawn as another of those small objects flew up into the tree. "What is that they're throwing to the girls?" Adam asked the nearest person in the crowd.

"Jell-O shots." Came the reply from one of the many young men in the crowd.

Just then, Jordan, Rusty and Stephen arrived, drawn by the same commotion. A few more questions elicited little additional information. The exact point of what was going on was very unclear. It had something to do with some type of dare, mixed with alcohol. Then another nude girl dropped out of the tree. The boys all enjoyed the 'show' as much as the next guy. For a while they just took it easy, sipped on their beers, and shot the breeze with their friends. A large part of the conversation did revolve around the girls in the tree. Meanwhile two more girls dropped out of the tree.

Eventually Adam and Justin decided to move on, but Jordan, Rusty and Stephen wanted to stay and watch the fun a little longer. Justin glanced at his diver's watch. It had been a birthday present from his parents four years ago. It was the last pleasant memory he had of them together, just before their marriage had turned into open warfare.

Justin commented to the other three young men. "If we're going to separate, then we need to arrange some type of rendezvous for this evening." Adam then suggested. "How about we all meet at the lower landing next to the tube rental shack at eight o'clock sharp." Jordan, Rusty and Stephen all agreed to it then Justin and Adam took off on their own.

Justin and Adam talked for a while, discussing the various nude girls they had seen jump out of the tree. Adam's opinion was that the blonde, that had been the fourth one to drop in, had been the best looking. Justin thought the brunette, number six, had been the best looking. They finally agreed to disagree and, that subject having been exhausted, they moved on to the various peculiarities of the professors at their college.

A half hour later, they rounded a bend in the river and come across two very cute girls that were apparently being harassed by two very large and belligerent young men. Both girls were around five-foot-three. The two guys harassing the girls were a bit over six feet and from the looks of it they were becoming more aggressive by the second.

Justin was a hair under six and a half feet tall and built like a tank because of his daily workouts. He had plans to go into law enforcement. Adam was five foot eight and only weighed a hundred fifty pounds. Though Justin was much larger and stronger, Adam had managed to, almost, hold his own in many a wrestling match with his cousin due to his quick agility. They looked at each other and, with a shrug and an answering nod, decided to try to help. They started making their way over toward the escalating altercation.

Justin opened his mouth to call out a challenge, when suddenly with a double splash, the two obnoxious young men were both floundering in the water and the two petite girls were staring down at them, hands on hips.

One of the girls looked up at the cousins. Justin, his mouth still open, and Adam, his mouth closed but looking equally surprised just stood there. She cocked her head. "Well." She called. "Do you two have something on your minds or are you just lost?"

Justin opened and closed his mouth a couple of times without anything coming out. He paused, as the second girl looked up, then he tried again. "Ah, actually we were thinking of coming to your rescue." He finally got out.

Adam snickered at the combination of the situation and Justin's comment.

The two potential troublemakers struggled to their feet. "Hey, this is none . . ." At this point his gaze had moved from Adam, small and skinny, to Justin, large and very powerfully built. Both of the young men were suitably cowed by Justin's size and staggered, mumbling, away.

The second girl chimed in sarcastically. "And I suppose you two expected us to swoon and fall into your arms after you swooped in and rescued us poor defenseless girls." There was a definite edge of annoyance to her voice. "Next you would be offering to escort us poor defenseless girls down the river to protect us from all those other dangerous guys."

The first girl smacked the second girl on the arm. "Brigit!"

Justin stared, stunned, back at the girl, now identified as Brigit.

Adam seemed to be seriously considering her suggestion for a second then he responded. "I thought it was more likely that you might be willing to float down the river with us for a while." He shrugged. "Since our aid is not really needed, I suspect that the swooning into our arms part is not necessarily expected, although I certainly wouldn't object to it if you fell into our arms."

Justin glanced over at Adam, a bit surprised at his cousin's response.

Adam glanced at Justin then continued. "Now that I think about it maybe you two could escort us down the river and protect me and my cousin from all those aggressive girls." He shrugged. "Flirting is certainly still optional." He gave her his best helpless puppy-dog eyes look.

Justin continued staring at his cousin in surprise then, trying very hard not to laugh, he attempted, a little less successfully, to imitate his cousin's expression.

The first girl looked back at Adam and Justin in wide-eyed surprise then held her hand over her mouth to hide her grin. After about a second, Brigit's anger began to crumble before the looks on the two boy's faces. When the other girl finally cracked up a second later, Brigit's self-control also slipped and a couple of snickers escaped.

Adam, who was actually a pretty good actor, really laid it on thick with the helpless puppy-dog look and Justin finally cracked up. A second later Brigit finally gave in and also broke up laughing. Adam was the last to crack and start laughing.

Adam pointed to his cousin. "This is my cousin Justin, and my name is Adam. We really would enjoy your company." He indicated, with an exaggerated gesture, the third tube that was attached to Justin's tube by a six-foot rope. "We have a cooler."

The other girl spoke up. "My name is Nancy and this is my sister Brigit." The two girls were so similar in appearance that there could be no doubt that they were sisters. The most obvious difference between them was their eye color.

With a little bit more coaxing from both boys, and a few more humorous cracks from Adam about being chased by all those aggressive girls, Brigit and Nancy finally agreed to join them and continue down the river together.

After a few moments of, slightly awkward, silence, Adam spoke up. "I don't mean to be too forward but I saw what you both did back there to those two idiots. That was not just some trick judo throw. You picked those two guys up and threw them down into the water. That took some serious strength. I couldn't have lifted either of them like that."

Justin jumped in. "You two are a lot stronger than you look, aren't you."

Brigit shrugged, looking at Justin a bit defensively, and replied to him. "Yea we are pretty strong."

Adam had to ask as he continued. "I hope you'll excuse my interest in the subject, but . . . just how strong are you two?"

Nancy answered with a shrug. "I would say that we are at least as strong as Justin, possibly stronger but not by much."

Justin responded. "That is pretty hard to believe."

"Want to test it?" Brigit jumped in, the earlier belligerence was back again.

"If you want." Justin replied lazily.

Adam grinned. "I would love to see you and Justin arm wrestle.

The four of them shifted over to a grassy bank and got out of the water. Soon Justin and Brigit were stretched out on the grass covered ground and facing off in an arm wrestling contest. Justin easily won the first round, flipping Brigit over onto her side. Brigit groaned and struck the ground in frustration.

Adam pondered the situation a moment then remarked to Brigit. "There is no way you can beat Justin this way. You're half his size. Justin has a huge weight advantage over you. We need some way to equalize your stability."

With a little thought, they rearranged the contest so that they each had something solid to hold onto. After several seconds of straining, Brigit won, but just barely. Adam had pulled out his camera and got a picture of them just before the contest ended. Justin stood there a few moments rubbing his strained muscles as he looked Brigit over in surprise and respect.

_**Continued in Part 2**_

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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	2. New Friends

**Down The River**_  
By Thomas Mc_

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**Chapter 2: ****New Friends**

Brigit turned from Justin and faced Adam who was standing next to Nancy. "You want to try me?" The abrasive demeanor was more pronounced and there was more than a hint of defensiveness in her voice.

"Not me." Adam replied with a grin. "I know when I'm outclassed."

Brigit cocked her head at Adam suspiciously, as Nancy asked. "And it doesn't bother you that we are stronger than you?"

Adam looked over at Nancy and shrugged. "Makes no difference to me." He chuckled. "But it might be nice to go with a girl that you never have to worry about because you know that she can take care of herself."

Brigit addressed Justin her hands firmly planted on her hips. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Justin replied off handedly.

"How do you feel about the fact that I could beat you up." Brigit pressed.

Nancy opened her mouth to chide her sister when she felt Adams hand on her elbow. She held her peace.

Justin gazed at Brigit for a couple of seconds just a bit taken aback by the tone as well as the content of her question. "First off, it's not that sure you could beat me up. You may be as strong as me, possibly even stronger, but I still have weight and training on my side." He paused as he gazed back at her. "It would most definitely bother me if you did, but the idea that you could doesn't." He paused.

Adam jumped in at this point. "More importantly, fighting would be a total waste of time. I can think of much more pleasant ways to pass the time." He glanced around at the scenery. "Like floating down the river and enjoying the view."

Justin jumped back in. "Who can beat up who, only matters if you're planning to get into a fight." He gazed at Brigit. "And fighting is the last thing on my mind right now."

Brigit's defensiveness seemed to relax a bit over the next half hour as they all engaged in a few more various tests of strength. The boys learned that the girls were also very quick as well as strong. It was decided that Justin was nearly as strong as the girls were and Adam was just as fast as they were. In feats of strength where weight was a factor Justin often won. After a while, they decided to just call it a draw before finally returning to the river.

They continued to float for a while in silence. The boys quietly observing and thinking about the girls. The girls seemed to be deep in thought as they observed the boys.

After a few minutes, Adam finally broke the silence. "By the time we reach the end, we'll all probably be hungry. Would you two like to go out to dinner with Justin and me?" He shrugged. "I know of a great restaurant that is just fifteen minutes from the last landing."

Nancy and Brigit looked at each other, alternating between uncertainty and surprise, unsure how to answer. Finally, Brigit responded. "Let's just see how things go between now and then."

"Fair enough." Replied Justin. He opened the cooler. "Anybody want something to drink?"

"What do you have?" Nancy shifted her tube closer and tried to peer into the cooler.

Justin looked down into the cooler and appeared to be studying its contents. "Let's see . . . we have beer, more beer, coke, water, and Gatorade? Who snuck that in here?" Justin glanced at Adam. "Well that's it. What would you like?"

"I think I would like a coke, please." Nancy requested.

After a pause, Brigit also responded. "I'll have the same thing."

Justin pulled out and handed the girls the requested items, next he pulled out a Gatorade and tossed it over to Adam without remark then he pulled out a beer for himself."

As the quartet continued down the river together, they commented on the things they saw around them on the river and slowly got to know each other. The girls became more relaxed with the boys once they became convinced that Adam and Justin weren't going to bug out on them at the first opportunity, as they had half expected.

They passed the first landing where the traffic on the river thinned out somewhat. They had become relatively isolated from the other people sharing the river around them when the topic eventually came back to the girl's unusual strength. It eventually came out that both girls had experienced bad reactions to the discovery of their superior strength. Usually this had led to an unpleasant breakup or a relationship simply disintegrating before it even got started.

As they continued to float downriver, Adam thought about the strength that the two girls had displayed as he took in both girls' bikini clad bodies. Finally, he asked the question that was uppermost on his mind. "Why are you two so strong? I know it's not from working out. You would have much larger muscles if it was that. One would never guess how strong you two are just by looking at you." He looked at Brigit and Nancy expectantly.

Brigit glanced uncertainly at Nancy, who shrugged, then frowned at the sky for a second. Nancy looked back at Adam, the uncertainty showing through her eyes. "It's genetic. It comes from our father." She shrugged. "It's just the way we are."

Adam mulled her answer over, and then grinned. "Stealth strength. Could give you quite an advantage if you were attacked by someone who didn't know you." He glanced momentarily at Justin. "Have either of you ever taken a self defense class?"

Again, Brigit glanced at Nancy who responded for the two. "No, never thought about it, though Mother has taught us a few tricks for emergency situations."

"You should, you know." Justin threw in. "Speed and strength will get you through most situations but it is useless against a gun. That's where a self-defense course could make the difference." He pointed his finger at her. "If I pulled a gun on you right now, you could never use your strength against me before I pulled the trigger."

Nancy responded. "I could distract you by splashing you." Which she proceeded to do.

"Oh is that how you're going to play it." Justin sputtered then splashed her back.

She returned the volley, getting Adam in the collateral spray. Justin and Adam both returned fire, getting Brigit who sputtered with surprise. Very quickly, it degenerated into a free-for-all melee with all four of them virtually hidden in a wall of seething churning water. Only the sound of laughter, squeals and squawks betrayed their existence inside the maelstrom.

Thirty minutes later, they were again peacefully floating along, soaking wet and chuckling softly.

More drinks were passed out. After a few minutes of silence, Adam brought up the subject of current movies and soon they were all talking about their favorite movies and actors. Adam adamantly refused to back down in his assertion that 'Lord Of The Rings' was the best movies ever made. Brigit insisted that 'Avatar' was better. Justin agreed with Brigit. Nancy insisted that 'The Abyss' was the best

~ o ~

Late in the afternoon, they reached the last landing and got out of the river. They all used the outdoor showers next to the tube rental shop to rinse off the river water. The girls dropped off their tubes which they had rented. Then they all joined up beside the covered bench at the shuttle bus stop.

"Well," Adam spoke first. "Are we still on for dinner?"

Brigit and Nancy glanced at each other. Nancy answered. "Sure, sounds fine to me."

"Your car or ours?" Adam asked with just a hint of a smile.

Brigit snorted at Adam's play on words. Justin glanced at him in surprise then shook his head.

"Our car is parked at the second landing and it's a two seater." Nancy replied straight faced.

"In that case, I guess it will have to be my truck, then." Justin responded with a hint of a grin.

"But we still need to go by our car to get our cover-ups." Nancy added striking a pose in her bikini.

"Um, No problem." Justin remarked after a half a beat. He glanced at his watch. "We have plenty of time 'til we have to be back."

"Back?" inquired Nancy.

"We came here with three others and we have to be back at this spot to meet them at eight o'clock."

Justin and Adam opened the air valves on their tubes letting them deflate then they went out to Justin's truck. After packing everything away Justin and Adam got out tee shirts and put them on, then they all hopped into the truck and headed to the second landing and the girls' car. Brigit directed Justin to a little red BMW convertible.

"Nice car." Adam remarked in admiration.

Nancy shrugged. "It actually belongs to our big sister, Naomi."

The girls retrieved their cover-ups. Then they headed for the restaurant that Adam had suggested.

"How come you were parked at the second landing?" Adam asked.

"That's where we were originally planning to get out." Replied Brigit.

Nancy jumped in. "Then we met these two really weird guys and followed them further down the river out of curiosity."

"You should be careful following strange guys. You never know what you might end up with." Adam remarked.

"Well they are a bit strange but they don't seem to be too bad . . . for guys." Brigit responded as she nudged Justin.

~ o ~

Soon they arrived at the restaurant. Over dinner, they talked about their day on the river. It turned out that the girls had also started down the river from the upper drop-off. Adam and Justin were impressed, but not really surprised, that these two girls would dare to take on the upper rapids.

After a little coaxing, Nancy exchanged home phone numbers with Adam and Justin. Adam glanced at the girls' home number and commented on it. "This is a Manhattan exchange. You live in New York?"

"That's correct. We live close to Central Park." Replied Nancy.

Adam remarked. "My father used to live in Manhattan, before he married my mother. They moved to Connecticut right after they got married." He chuckled. "Small world ain't it."

"A lot of people in Connecticut come from New York." Responded Brigit.

~ o ~

It was getting late when Justin pulled up beside the girls' car. After a quick round of goodbyes, Justin headed back to the first landing. They arrived with two minutes to spare. Jordan, Rusty and Stephen were there waiting. "So where were you guys?" Jordan asked.

"We were with a couple of girls we picked up on the river ." Adam replied.

"Oh is that so?" Rusty looked at the cousins. "Were they cute?"

Adam shrugged then grinned. "Oh yea! They weren't bad at all."

Stephen jumped in at this point. "Hey, did you guy's hear about the two Amazons?"

Adam and Justin looked at him curiously. "Amazons?"

"Yea!" Stephen responded. "These two big guys said that they ran into two huge hairy Amazon women that attacked them and threw them into the river."

Adam and Justin glanced at each other. Justin shrugged, a hint of a smile playing across his face. Adam raised one eyebrow, his eyes glittering in amusement. "No, we didn't see or hear about any 'Amazons'. What did those guys say?"

"Not that much." Jordan replied. "Rusty noticed that they both had large bruises on their backs and asked about it."

That was all it took for Adam and Justin to know for sure.

During the ride back to the college dorm, they talked about the river trip and the girls they had seen. Adam and Justin talked a little about the sisters but left out the more unusual details and the events around the initial encounter.

~ o ~

Once Adam and Justin got home, they pulled out Adam's camera and went through the pictures from the river trip.

The first one was a, way off plumb, picture of Justin surrounded by white rapids. His tube was at a 45 degree angle to the water, one leg straight out to the side, the other leg nearly straight up.

"When did you take that one?" Justin asked.

"Just before your tube flipped over." Adam replied. "I almost lost it there as well."

The next picture was of the five of them with the six girls they had met just after the rapids.

"I forgot about them." Justin remarked.

The third picture showed a large tree overhanging the crowded river, a vaguely female shaped pink blur about halfway between the tree and the water.

"Aw, that one didn't come out very good." Adam shrugged. "What a shame."

With another shrug, he went to the next picture of Justin, Brigit and Nancy in their tubes on the river. "Hey that one came out really good."

The next picture was of the arm wrestling contest between Justin and Brigit. Both their faces clearly showed the strain of the contest. Adam laughed. "She sure put you in your place there, didn't she?"

"Well she did prove that she was as strong as she claimed." Justin replied with an unconcerned shrug.

The next picture showed Justin holding Nancy above his head in front of a large tree. That was followed by one of Nancy holding Adam up over her head with the river in the background. Justin and Adam both laughed at that one. The one after that showed Brigit holding Justin above her head and it was obvious that she was about to lose her balance.

"Fortunately she dropped you on your head so there was no damage." Adam commented, laughing.

Justin responded by shoving Adam off the sofa and laughed as Adam returned to his seat.

They resumed flipping through the pictures. The next picture was of the two girls framed by the river backdrop followed by one of the two boys in the same background. Then there was one of Justin and Brigit together followed by one of Adam and Nancy together. There were a couple of pictures of Nancy and Brigit floating on the river in their tubes, including one of Brigit flipping Justin's tube with him in it, followed by a picture of Nancy and Brigit standing next to Justin's truck.

The last picture from the river trip was of Adam, Nancy, Justin and Brigit sitting around the table at the restaurant. That picture had been taken by their waiter. Justin spoke as he gazed at that picture. "Well cousin what do you think about Brigit and Nancy?" He glanced over at Adam. "Did you like them?"

"Are you kidding? Two smoking hot girls in bikinis driving a hot red sports car, what's not to like?" Adam grinned.

"So should we call them? Maybe try to arrange to get together again sometime soon?" Justin pushed.

"I think it would be a good idea." Adam thought a few moments. "Maybe we could drive down to New York this next weekend to see them and take in a movie or something."

"Definitely." Justin looked back at the picture of the four of them in the restaurant. "We'll call them tomorrow night and make plans for next weekend."

_**Continued in Part 3**_

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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	3. The Second Date

**Down The River**_  
By Thomas Mc_

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**Chapter 3: ****The Second Date**

Adam picked up the phone and dialed the number that the Nancy had given them.

A deep, slightly raspy, male voice answered. "Chandler residence." . . .

"Um, may I speak to Nancy or Brigit?" . . .

"One moment." . . .

After about a minute, a female voice answered. "This is Nancy speaking." . . .

"Hi Nancy, this is Adam from the river. Justin and I are thinking of coming down to New York this next weekend and we would like to see you and Brigit while we are there. Maybe we could take you out to dinner and a movie or something." . . .

"That sounds interesting. Can you hold for a moment?" . . .

"Sure." . . .

After a short pause, Nancy returned. "Brigit says that she is available and I have no plans for this weekend. We would both be pleased to see you this Saturday." . . .

They made plans for dinner and a movie for next Saturday night. Nancy gave him her home address and Adam's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He knew just enough about New York to understand what an address on Central Park West near the park said about the girls' family. They talked a bit more and laughed a little bit about the river trip then hung up. Adam faced Justin with a shrug. "Well cousin, we're set. I just hope those two girls don't turn out to be too rich for our blood."

"What do you mean?" Justin asked him.

Adam shrugged. "Central Park West next to the park is a very high class neighborhood. Housing there ain't cheap by anyone's definition." He shook his head. "Mom and Dad would have to work a whole year just to cover one month's rent."

Justin shrugged. "I guess that explains the car they were in."

"They probably thought that car was cheep considering where they live." Adam responded.

~ x x x x x ~

Saturday afternoon, a week later, the boys drove to New York. Adam had been to New York a few times so he knew his way around somewhat. His father had recommended a restaurant that would be within their budget without embarrassing them or their dates, assuming it was still there.

Justin pulled the truck up in front of the address that Brigit had given them. He glanced over at Adam. "You're sure about that address?"

The two young men gazed up at the elegant white stone facade of the old upscale brownstone. They both were very impressed and just a tiny bit intimidated.

"It's the address that she gave me." Adam replied. "This place is even more upscale than I thought."

Adam and Justin approached the front door, a bit uncertainly. They both glanced up at the front of the group of brownstones then they both glanced back at Justin's old pick-up truck. They then looked at each other and Adam shrugged. "We may be in way over our heads here cousin." He shrugged again and pressed the doorbell. They could just barely hear the sound of the doorbell chimes coming from inside.

After a short nervous wait, the door opened and an elegant well-dressed woman stood there smiling at them. Both of them were very surprised when they immediately recognized her as Catherine Chandler. Had they been given the wrong address after all?

Despite being notoriously publicity shy, Catherine Chandler just couldn't avoid occasionally getting her name and picture in the newspapers. Not when she was a wealthy socialite heiress and lawyer who vanishes and returns ten days later with her face badly cut up with no explanation; then becomes a crusading District Attorney that is prominently involved with cleaning up the largest corruption scandal in the city's history; all the while giving birth to three daughters while steadfastly refusing to identify the father; then topping it off by adopting the daughter of a slain mobster informant.

Adam and Justin were very impressed and just the tiniest bit intimidated by this formidable woman. "May I help you?" Catherine inquired of them politely.

After a moment's delay, Adam responded a bit hesitantly. "I'm Adam and this is Justin. We're here to see Nancy and Brigit?" Inside he was thinking that this just couldn't be the right address.

She studied them for a moment then smiled. "You must be the two boys from the river." She glanced quickly over her shoulder then stepped back from the door. "Please come in. The girls should be down in just a minute."

A very pretty young woman that was sitting on the sofa stood up as the boys entered. She smiled at them. "Hi, my name is Linda, ah, Gains."

"Adam Smith and this is my cousin Justin Masters." Adam stepped up and extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Just as she took his hand, another stunning young woman with golden blond hair and eyes the same startlingly sapphire blue as Brigit, came around from beyond the wall behind a large elegant spiral stairway. "You ready to go Linda?" She glanced at the boys. "Oh, hi." Then she disappeared back the way she came.

"I'm coming, Jennifer. Keep your shirt on." Linda responded then turned back to the boys. "Gotta go. It was nice to meet you, both." Then she quickly followed the other girl out of the room.

Catherine shook her head then shrugged. "That bundle of mercury was my daughter Jennifer."

Justin and Adam glanced at each other then back at the stairway as Brigit and Nancy came into view descending the stairs. Both boys smiled at the appearance of their dates. Brigit came over to link arms with Justin and Nancy joined Adam.

Catherine smiled at the two couples. "You kids have fun and don't stay out too late."

Brigit glanced at the others then remarked. "We'll be home by eleven, Mom."

~ o ~

The restaurant, that Adam's father had recommended, was still in business and the food was great. The four of them were getting along very well together. Adam and Justin split the bill and then they headed for the movie theatre that was located across the street. The movie was good but it fell a little bit short of expectations. They were discussing the movie as they headed into the parking lot.

Adam was commenting. ". . . I just don't know. The Phillips character was well acted but he just did not feel right to me. In the book Phillips is a lot more, aahh, self-possessed. He was . . ."

Three rather tough looking men stepped out from between two trucks and blocked their way. They stopped. Then three more toughs stepped out behind them. Four of the toughs were carrying short lengths of pipe. The other two had knives.

Several very rude comments were directed at the girls as the six gang members closed in on them. The gang members started jostling the four of them and making threatening comments.

Almost simultaneously, Adam, Nancy and Brigit launched to the attack. A half-second later Justin joined the fray. Within seconds, the battle was fully joined. Justin and Nancy ended up fighting back to back against three of the attackers. They both had collected a few bad bruises and Justin had received a gash along his forearm.

Two of their three attackers charged at the same time. Justin and Nancy each grabbed one of the two charging attackers and swung them both around throwing them simultaneously at the third attacker. All three went down in a stunned tangled heap. Justin grabbed up the weapons before the attackers could untangle themselves.

Two more of the attackers had isolated Adam and attacked him simultaneously from each side. He blocked the attack from the one with the knife and managed to get a good solid telling strike in against that same attacker, dropping him and sending the knife skittering under a car. The next instant Adam went down when the other attacker clobbered him from behind.

Adam sprawled on the ground looking dazedly up at the second attacker as he raised the pipe for another strike. At that instant, another body sailed past from behind Adam and struck the attacker, sending him tumbling backwards. An instant later, Brigit shot past him and dived into the tangled mass of the two attackers, arms flailing furiously. In seconds, the fight had completely gone out of those two attackers.

Adam looked up as Brigit reached down to him. "Are you OK?" She asked with concern as she tried to help him up.

Adam shrugged off her help angrily. "I'm fine." He growled out as he struggled to his feet. He stood swaying unsteadily as he gazed at the six downed thugs around them.

"You're bleeding." Brigit announced as she again reached out to help him.

"I said I'm fine." Adam repeated as he again shrugged off her offer of help.

Nancy and Justin approached. "I'm taking you both to the Emergency Room." Nancy announced then turned to Justin. "And I'm driving. Gimme your keys." She held her hand out to Justin.

It was a short very quiet drive to the nearest emergency room, during which Brigit called her mother. Justin required ten stitches along his forearm. Adam had a concussion and required three stitches in his scalp. All four of them had bruises and minor scrapes.

Fifteen minutes later Catherine showed up at the emergency room. The four of them filled her in on what had happened. Justin's answers were short and terse, his mind distracted in his own thoughts. Adam's attitude was verging on surly. After she had talked to them, Catherine called the police and reported the incident. Catherine insisted on taking the girls straight home.

Brigit and Nancy sat quietly in the back seat of their mother's car feeling depressed. Both girls had seen the signs before and had begun shoring up their armor against the inevitable break-up.

~ o ~

Once the doctor released them an hour later, Justin and Adam got in the truck and started for home. Adam held the cold compress to the side of his head and wrestled with his conscious. He had been angry since the fight with the gang members and he had taken it out on everybody else, especially Brigit who had saved him from a very bad situation.

"Justin, pull over for a minute." Adam requested.

Justin glanced over at him then after several seconds pulled off the road into a supermarket parking lot. He then turned to face his cousin, wondering what Adam was up to. "What's wrong?"

After a few seconds, Adam pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number for the Chandler home. "Hello, Nancy? It's Adam. Would it be all right if Justin and I stopped by for a few minutes just to talk?" . . .

"OK thanks. We'll be there in about half an hour." He closed his phone. "We're going to Nancy and Brigit's place."

Justin pulled out of the parking lot and headed back the way they had come

~ o ~

Nancy hung up the phone and called out. "Mom, Brigit . . . Justin and Adam are coming over for a few minutes. They want to talk." Everything had been going so well with Adam until the attack had happened. She continued shoring up her emotional armor as she walked back to the kitchen.

"Great." Brigit mumbled under her breath. "Here it comes." She had begun to pace the dining room as she continued to grumble. "I didn't think it would happen so soon." She shook her head. "What did he expect me to do; let the guy bash his head in?" A little more loudly she commented to the world. "Boys and their egos!"

Nancy watched her sister pace with a sense of resigned sympathy. Then she shook her head. At least these two boys were willing to face them when they broke it off. Most guys tended to just stop calling and disappear.

~ o ~

Justin pulled up in front of the brownstone and, after a few seconds, the boys got out and approached the front door. Nancy was waiting and let them in. Brigit was standing over by the fireplace. There was an, almost cold, closed expression on her face. Adam walked straight over to her. "I think I owe you an apology for the way I behaved after we were attacked. I guess I let my male ego get the better of me."

Brigit was taken by surprise. This was not exactly what she had been expecting and it took her a few seconds to respond. "It's nothing. I'm just glad you're OK."

Adam continued talking. "Being a guy means my male ego will probably get its hackles up now and then but that doesn't change how I feel about Nancy . . . and you." He shrugged and glanced over at Justin and Nancy. "I'm not quite sure what was bothering Justin but I know he feels the same as me about both of you." He paused then smiled. "Well thanks for your help. I really enjoyed the evening regardless of how it ended." He gingerly rubbed the side of his head and wobbled a bit, feeling a little off balance, and Brigit reached out to steady him. "I think the pain killer the doctor gave me is really starting to kick in."

Brigit guided him over to the sofa and, after easing him down, sat next to him.

~ o ~

Meanwhile Justin and Nancy had retreated to the dining room to talk. Justin spoke first. "Adam felt bad about the way he acted to Brigit after the fight. I guess you could say it was a guy thing. He really does like you and he wanted to come back and make things right with you and Brigit." Justin paused a moment a little bit embarrassed. "You know, we made a pretty good team out there tonight. The way we double teamed those three apes was pretty awesome."

Nancy was suddenly at a loss for words. Instead of the 'this just isn't going to work' speech she had been expecting from Adam, she was faced with Justin who was actually talking about how awesome it had been. She glanced over at Brigit as she helped Adam over to the sofa. Brigit looked concerned rather than hurt or angry.

Justin followed her gaze. "Don't worry about Adam. He has always been a very competitive type and he didn't like coming out on the short end like he did tonight. It made him a bit more prickly than normal."

Nancy watched Adam and Brigit for a moment. "Yea, Brigit is also a little bit . . . prickly sometimes. She's had more than her fair share of disastrous dates." She looked back at Justin. "Most guys seem to have a problem with our, ah, abilities."

Justin shrugged. "Their loss." He glanced at Adam then back at Nancy and grinned. "Is our gain."

~ o ~

Adam ended up talking about the evening's battle with Brigit while Justin and Nancy talked about Adam and Brigit. After a short time, the four of them rejoined up at the main parlor sofa set.

Adam noticed that Justin and Nancy were holding hands then glanced down at Brigit's hand in his.

Justin noticed that Adam and Brigit were holding hands then glanced down at Nancy's hand in his.

All four of the young people became aware of the apparently reorganized coupling arrangement at the same time. Brigit and Adam glanced at each other while Justin and Nancy glanced at each other. Adam and Justin both shrugged then again the couples were looking at each other. With nods and smiles of understanding both couples recognized, and demonstrated their acceptance of, the altered situation.

The four of them approached the front door. Nancy opened the front door then the two couples kissed goodnight and the boys left. Nancy closed the door and both girls stared at each other for a moment then they were both talking simultaneously. They broke off then they both broke into giggles. Soon they were deep into discussion about what had happened that evening.

Both boys were deep in their own thoughts as they started for home. The events and resolution of this evening had left a lasting impression on both of them as well as cementing their interest in the sisters.

_**Continued in Part 4**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	4. Meet The Parents

**Down The River**_  
By Thomas Mc_

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**Chapter 4: ****Meet The Parents**

**September 2014**

Adam and Justin were watching a football game on the TV in Justin's new apartment and a commercial about lawyers that help men when their marriage falls apart had come on. Adam remarked to Justin. "You know we have been going with Brigit and Nancy for six months and it has definitely gotten serious between Brigit and me. Yet in all that time we have never met the girls' father."

Justin shrugged. "According to the news media, their father was an anonymous sperm donor so no one really knows who he was?"

Adam nudged his cousin. "You don't really believe that guff, do you?"

Justin shook his head. "No . . . not really." He paused. "For one thing, I've noticed the wedding ring on Ms. Chandler's finger."

Adam chuckled. "I noticed that too." He grabbed another nacho from the tray on the coffee table. "I'm also positive that their father has been there at the brownstone most of the times we have gone by to pick them up." Adam thought a moment. "And have you noticed that they never invite us into their home when we drop them off after a date? It's almost like they don't know if there might be someone in the parlor that we aren't supposed to see."

Justin furrowed his brow. "Now that you mention it, have you noticed that whoever answers the door always looks over their shoulder before letting us in?"

Adam nodded his head. "It looks like they're making sure the coast is clear."

"Kinda' makes you curious about the father, doesn't it? We have never seen him and they have never even admitted his existence." Justin paused, watching the TV, as his team ran the ball for a first down. "Um, where was I?"

"You said that they never admitted his existence but I remember when we first met them on the river I asked them where their strength came from and Nancy said it was genetic, from their father." Adam added. "The way she said it, sounded like she knew him very well, not like she was talking about some unknown sperm donor."

"Oh yea, I remember that." Justin cocked his head. "Makes you wonder why they are so secretive about him."

"Well we know that there is something unusual about him. Once when we were at a movie, Brigit made an offhand reference about her unusual speed and strength coming from their father. Something in the way she said it made me think there were a lot more differences than just speed and strength." Adam was commenting to Justin, then all his attention was glued to the TV. "**Go! Go! Go! Yea!**" They both cheered and high-fived each other when their team made a touchdown on a long pass. "Did you see him hurl that bomb? It was forty yards at least."

"There is one other thing." Justin remarked after the excitement and instant replays were over. "We have met all four sisters but never seen any brothers." He grabbed a nacho. "But something Nancy once said, I don't even remember now what it was, gave me the impression that there is at least one brother somewhere in the background. Since then I have heard other comments that make me more certain that I'm right." He popped the nacho into his mouth.

"You know . . . **Get him! No! No! Get him! Yea! ** . . . How could they have let him **get** that far? They **really** need to beef up that defensive line." Adam shook his head. "What was I saying?" He thought for a second. "Brothers! I once over heard Ms Chandler use the phrase 'both sets of twins' on the phone while we were waiting for the girls. I have also heard the name 'Jacob' slip out more than once. Twice it was used in conjunction with Jennifer. I looked it up on the internet once. If there is one set of fraternal twins in a family then the odds of another set of twins is very good. It is supposed to have something to do with both ovaries firing simultaneously. I'm half convinced that Jennifer has a twin brother named Jacob."

Justin nodded his head. "Now that you mention it I've heard that name a couple of times too." He thought for a second. "I also remember hearing the name 'Charles' a couple of times. Maybe that's the father's name. **No! No! Stop him!**"

Adam dragged his attention away from the replay of the twenty-five yard run by the opposition. "You could be right there cousin. I wonder why they also keep the brother under wraps. Maybe it has something to do with their appearance."

"Some type of physical deformity, maybe?" Justin suggested.

Adam shrugged. "It makes as much sense as anything, but what type of physical deformity would be so extreme that they would go to so much effort to keep it such a secret?" He shook his head. "I think there must be more to it."

Justin shrugged then their attention was again glued to the game on the TV.

~ x x x x x ~

**December 2014**

Adam and Brigit were at the theater watching the new Broadway play. Brigit had been given the tickets by her mother and had invited Adam to go with her. Nancy was up in Connecticut visiting Justin. It had been almost nine months since that fateful trip down the river and both relationships were definitely getting very serious. Justin had moved into his own apartment about four months ago and Adam knew that he was expecting Nancy to spend the night.

Brigit glanced over at Adam. She had been noticing that Adam seemed a bit distracted today. She reached out and took his hand. "Adam, what is it that has you so distracted? I don't think you've even been aware of the last ten minutes of the play." He looked over at her and she grinned back. "You've missed two very funny jokes and one half dressed girl prancing across the stage." She gave his hand a squeeze. "Tell me what's bothering you. Maybe I can help."

Adam gazed at her for a second as he thought about what to say to her. "You know, we have been going together for eight or nine months now and things have gotten pretty serious between us as well as between Justin and Nancy. They're planning to spend the weekend together for god sake."

"Yes, and you know how much I care about you." Brigit responded with another squeeze of his hand. She was beginning to wonder where this was going. Was he planning some major step in their relationship?

Adam took a deep breath and plunged in. "I just wondered when you are going to introduce us to your father and brother."

Adam felt her hand tremble and, despite her attempt to hide it, he saw the surprise and fear flash across her face and in her eyes. Her reaction had been a bit more excessive than he had expected. When she opened her mouth, he held his finger up to her lips to forestall an immediate response. He suspected that she might be about to try denying everything. "Before you say anything, please hear me out." He paused a moment and she held back her response. Why did she look so afraid? "Justin and I have both come to the conclusion that Jennifer has a twin brother named Jacob." From the look in her eyes and the tremor in her hand, Adam was sure he had hit the nail squarely on the head with that one. "We also think that your mother and father are married and they are currently living together." Another good guess by the look of her. She was actually trembling. "We also think his name is Charles." This time there was surprise but her reaction was somehow different; not quite a direct hit. Adam cocked his head and waited for her response.

Brigit did not know what to say. Adam had been so close it was unnerving and she was trembling as a result. She didn't want to lie to him, but the secrets he was getting so dangerously close to were potentially disastrous to her whole family.

Adam took her hand in both of his. "Brigit, I didn't realize. I'm sorry my question frightened you so. Just forget I even mentioned it. I'll never bring it up again." He gave her hand a squeeze. "I love you Brigit." He resolutely turned his attention back to the play. He could still feel her hand trembling in his and after a few seconds, he raised her hand to lips and kissed it.

Brigit's mind was in turmoil. She didn't know what she should do. Adam and Justin were both total outsiders and their guesses were so close. She felt like she was drowning, but he had thrown her a lifeline. He had not pressured her and he had been up front with her about what he knew, or thought he knew before he let her answer. He hadn't tried to trick her and he had given her an out when he realized how serious this was for her.

Adam's mind was in turmoil. He didn't know what he should do. He and Justin seemed to have stumbled onto a secret that had her nearly scared to death. He was afraid that he might have just destroyed any chance he and Justin might have had with the sisters. He was dying of curiosity but he really did not want to loose Brigit. He had tried to back away from the cliff as fast as possible once he realized how serious this was for her.

Both of them were acutely aware of the person holding their hand and neither was willing to let go. They were both so deep in their own thoughts that neither one of them really saw the rest of the play. They were both startled when they realized that the play was over.

Adam turned to Brigit. "I'm sorry I spoiled the play for you." He looked down at the floor a moment. "Would you like to stop at that ice cream place we all stopped at last September?" He looked at her hopefully.

Brigit was hyper aware that they were still holding hands. In fact, he had not let go of her hand since he had scared her with his question. It was almost as if he was afraid she would slip away from him if he let go. "OK." She responded. "That would be nice."

~ o ~

All the way back to her home, Brigit had been deep in thought, and their relationship felt so fragile at this point that Adam was leery of disturbing her. As he brought the car to a halt in front of her place, she turned toward him. She looked him in the eye, opened her mouth, took a breath, closed it, opened it again and took another breath. '_Uh oh._' He thought to himself. '_This is it. She's about to drop me._' Behind Brigit, he saw the brownstone door open and saw Nancy standing in the door. '_Oh No. That does not look good._'

He was startled when Brigit grabbed his hand and started speaking. "Adam, there are things here that could have a very disastrous effect on a lot of people that I care a great deal about." She looked down at their clasped hands as she continued to speak. "I just can't say anything without talking to those people first and even then I may not be able to tell you anything." She looked back up at him, her eyes pleading for his understanding. "Would you and Justin come over to our place for dinner next Saturday? Please?"

All Adam could think about was that she had not told him to stay away. "I would love to." He glanced up at Nancy, still standing in the doorway. "I'm sure Justin would also like that."

"Good, We'll see you both next Saturday, say about six?" There was a definite tone of entreaty to her words.

"It's a date." He replied happily.

She gave him a quick but genuine kiss, opened the car door, blew him another kiss then quickly made her way into the brownstone. After a few moments contemplation, he drove off. All the way out of the city, he thought about what had happened. Just about the time he reached the edge of the city, he pulled out his cell-phone and called Justin.

He heard Justin's dispirited voice answer. "Hello Adam."

"Justin, what happened?"

After a few moments of silence, Justin responded. "I told Nancy everything that we had figured out." There was another pause. "She was so upset that, I swear, I thought she was going to pass out right in front of me."

After several seconds of silence, Adam prompted. "What did she do?"

"After a very short and awkward time she said that she couldn't stay. Then she left." Another short pause. "She was so upset. I just hope she made it home OK. She should be there by now but I'm a little afraid to call to make sure."

Adam nodded to himself. "She made it home OK. I just saw her."

He heard a sigh from the other end. "I think I may have blown it for both of us."

"Things aren't lost yet. We are both invited to dinner at their place next Saturday at six." Adam told him.

"Then Brigit told you about the big secret?" Justin sounded very surprised.

"No. But there is a possibility that they may tell us next Saturday. We'll compare notes tomorrow at your place."

"OK. See you tomorrow. Bye."

"Bye." Adam broke the connection. Justin had sounded much better by the end of the call.

Adam forced his attention away from rampant speculation and back to his driving.

~ x x x x x ~

Adam and Justin pulled up in front of the Chandler brownstone at about five-thirty Saturday afternoon. Both were filled with anticipation and trepidation in equal measure. This time they were in Adam's mustang. Justin's truck needed a special part that had to be ordered from an out of state source and it would not arrive until Monday or Tuesday.

Adam rang the doorbell and the door opened in less than a second. It was Nancy. She grabbed Justin's hand and practically dragged him inside. "You're early." She was remarking as Adam followed close behind. He spotted Brigit standing in the center of the parlor next to the sofa arrangement. There was no one else in sight and both girls looked very nervous. Nancy had closed the door and drawn Justin into a fierce hug as Adam approached Brigit, a bit uncertain of his reception.

As soon as Adam reached Brigit, she threw her arms around him and hugged him just as fiercely while Nancy drew a bemused Justin over to the sofas. "Sit down, both of you." Brigit spoke. "We have some things to discuss."

Justin and Adam both sat down in the long sofa that Brigit had indicated, while the girls sat down in the short sofa facing them.

Brigit spoke first. "First of all you both were uncomfortably close in your guesses but you had one thing wrong. Charles is our younger brother's name. Our father's name is Vincent. You were right about Jacob being Jennifer's twin brother." She paused to let them absorb what she had said. "Our father and brothers have been kept secret because they are very unusual in appearance. If the world were aware of their existence, they would be in danger of being dragged off to some scientist's lab to be dissected or killed outright. In fact, about twenty-five years ago, a scientist from the local university tried to do just that to Dad, and Mom had to rescue him. A year and a half ago some scientist from China captured my brother Charles, stuck him in a cage and tried to smuggle him to China. We managed to catch them at the small private airport out on Long Island just as they were loading him into a plane. Being our father's offspring means that the same fate might await us as well. The incident really left our family spooked."

Nancy jumped in. "The fact that Dad's uniqueness is passed from father to sons proves that it is entirely genetic in origin. In addition, there is a great deal of uncertainty just how much of Dad's genetic heritage Brigit and I carry. You already know about the strength and speed. Who knows what else may be lurking hidden in our genes."

Brigit took over. "I must warn you that many would consider our father's appearance to be very frightening. We however think he looks kinda cool." The two girls grinned at each other. "Mother says that she thinks he looks magnificent."

Adam spoke up. "What is it about his appearance that is so different?"

"That is rather difficult to say without sounding crazy." Nancy shrugged as she responded. "You just have to see for yourself."

Brigit spoke up. "Before we go any further, you must understand that if the wrong person were to find out about Dad, Jacob or Charles it could put our whole family in terrible danger. Even if you decide, after meeting them, that you never want to see us again, you must promise us that you will never ever tell anyone what you find out about Dad and our brothers."

Adam glanced at Justin then turned his whole attention to the girls. "Of course you have my word, Brigit. I promise that I will keep your secret, whatever it is." He shrugged then his voice became very earnest. "And I really don't believe anything you tell us will change how I feel about you."

Justin nodded his head. "I love you, Nancy, and I also promise, I won't tell anyone your secret."

The two girls again looked at each other, this time with a look of uncertainty on their faces. At a small gesture from Nancy, Brigit turned towards the back of the house and called out. "Daddy!"

Adam and Justin stood up prepared, with a small bit of trepidation, to meet the father of their girlfriends. And the source of the deep dark family secret.

Neither of the boys was really prepared for what they saw. The being that stepped out from the kitchen was six and a half feet tall, very powerfully built, and he looked like a cross between a lion and a human. He seemed to radiate barely contained raw power as he stood there looking back at the two boys. Both boys' attention was so riveted on him that they were hardly aware of Catherine, who was holding his arm. Justin stood transfixed, his mouth hanging open as he stared at the very large lion-man creature before him. Adam took an involuntary step back and fell backwards over the arm of the sofa they had been sitting in.

_**Continued in Part 5**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	5. Change in Plans

**Down The River**_  
By Thomas Mc_

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**Chapter 5 : Change in Plans**

As Adam fell backwards over the sofa, Brigit called out to him. "Adam!" She actually leaped over the coffee table in her rush to get to him. "Adam, are you OK?" Brigit asked as she knelt down beside him, concern plainly showing in her face.

Adam's tumble broke Justin out of his stunned trance and he turned toward Adam. "Are you OK, cousin?"

Adam shook his head and looked up at Brigit then glanced uncertainly over at the apparition that Brigit had called Daddy. His eyes went from the furry leonine face and mane to the fur covered clawed hands and back to the face. "Umm." He shook his head again and looked at Brigit. "Ahh." He blinked as his attention was drawn back again to Brigit's father. "I ah, I guess I only injured my pride." He dragged his attention back to Brigit as she helped him back to his feet. He kept a firm hold on Brigit's hand because his knees felt like they would buckle under him at any moment as he again looked at Brigit's father. Vincent and Catherine had advanced to the sofa group by the time Adam was back on his feet.

Nancy had come around the coffee table at a slightly more sedate pace to stand beside Justin as her arm eased around his back. He glanced at Nancy as his arm went around her back in response. He was grateful of her support because his legs felt none-to-steady at that moment. "I ah . . ." His mind seemed to have gone blank and he found himself at a loss for words as his gaze was drawn back to Nancy's father.

Adam dragged his gaze away from Brigit's father and looked into her eyes for a moment and saw a tentative, half-fearful, smile cross her face, then he spoke. "I guess I can see now why you had so much difficulty describing your father to us." He shrugged. "I don't think I would have believed you if you had tried." He released her hand and his arm went around her waist almost without conscious thought. It was as much to reassure himself as anything else. Also he was still feeling none-to-stable at this point.

Justin shook himself. "Wow!" Was all he managed to say as he continued to stare at the apparition before him. He tightened his arm around Nancy and felt her relax into his embrace.

Adam looked back at the impossible apparition standing before him and swallowed convulsively. "Aahh, it's a pleasure to finally meet you sir." Though feeling very intimidated Adam tightened his arm around Brigit very slightly and stretched his free hand out towards Brigit's father. He only flinched a little when her father's clawed, fur covered, hand reached out and closed over his.

"It is a pleasure meeting you too young man. Brigit has told me a lot about you and I'm glad to finely meet you in person." Both boys felt the controlled power that resonated in his slightly raspy voice. "I see that her high opinion of you is justified."

With the slightest, friendly, squeeze from each of them, they broke the clasp and their hands dropped to their sides.

Adam was at a loss what to say next. He gave Brigit a reassuring squeeze just to try to let her know that everything was still OK. Adam shrugged as he desperately tried to think of something more to say, to somehow fill the awkward silence. His mind was still trying to cope with the image before him and all he could come up with was, "Umm. I, ah. I guess Jacob and Charles must both look a lot like you?"

His query was answered by a chuckle from Vincent as a new voice came from the direction of the grand spiral stairs off to the boy's right. "Close enough." Everyone's attention shifted to the direction of the new voice. There at the base of the spiral stairs stood two younger copies of Vincent, looking back at them.

Still uncertain what to say and never one to act precipitously, Justin continued to silently take in and process the situation.

Adam opened his mouth then found he didn't quite know what to say. His second attempt was slightly more successful. "Jacob and Charles I presume." He was trying desperately to keep his tone light and hoping they wouldn't be able to tell how nervous and uncertain he felt.

"That is correct." One of the two leonine males responded with a nod. "I am Jacob and this is my brother Charles."

Justin finally managed to regain his voice. "Ahh, Nice to meet both of you." He was feeling very nervous and uncertain at this point and continued to hold onto Nancy for moral, as well as physical, support.

"Same here." Replied Jacob. "Why don't we all have a seat and we can talk?"

They all took seats on the sofa group that dominated the parlor. Adam, Brigit, Justin and Nancy all sat together on the largest, eight-foot long, sofa. Adam kept his arm firmly wrapped around Brigit's shoulders, as he tried to emphasize that his feelings toward her had not changed. Justin maintained a firm grip on Nancy's hand, also as a message of reassurance; and as an anchor for his own turbulent emotions.

Catherine and Vincent sat together on the love seat. They too were holding hands. Jacob and Charles sat down at either end of the shorter sofa. There was no denying their relationship to Vincent. One of the things that surprised Adam was that, despite the strong leonine features, he could see elements of their mother in both their faces. With the exception of slightly different coloring, they looked like a pair of perfectly matched bookends.

After a few moments of silence, Adam spoke up first. "I guess the first question that occurs to me is where do you come from?"

"Nobody ever told you about the birds and the bees?" Jacob shot back with a grin that gave both Adam and Justin their first peek at Jacob's canines / fangs.

"Jake!" Brigit admonished her older brother.

"Actually we originated from the laboratory of an evil mad scientist." Jacob continued grinning, totally unrepentant under the glare of both his sisters.

Catherine was shaking her head at her son's comments. He was obviously trying to break the tension that permeated the room with his idea of humor. Unfortunately the two nervous young men were not quite sure how to take Jacobs humor and the awkward atmosphere persisted.

Catherine looked at Vincent then stepped in. "Actually, Vincent was the first of his kind. To some extent, Jacob was telling the truth." She reached up and gently caressed Vincent's cheek then continued. "Vincent was born as the result of some kind of genetics experiment. We know who the person was but we do not know the how it was done or why. The rather unpleasant person that did it, died long before we ever learned of his existence and as far as we know all of his records were destroyed. Vincent was found as a newborn infant abandoned in the trash behind St. Vincent Hospital. That is where his name comes from. The people that found him took him in and raised him in secret."

She indicated herself and Vincent. "We first met twenty seven years ago. I was mugged and left for dead. Vincent found me and saved my life. Three years later we married."

~ o ~

Vincent was expounding on what they knew about the family genetics. "... we think that most of the genes that make me and my sons what we are, are located in the Y chromosome. If that is true, then Brigit and Nancy don't carry those genes." He shrugged. "But we don't really know that for sure. Brigit and Nancy are my natural daughters and you know about the strength and speed that the girls inherited. We just can't be absolutely sure what other of my unique genetics might be lurking in their genes, ready to pop up unexpectedly."

Adam and Justin, both, had a kind of faraway look in their eyes as they sat there absorbing the implications of what was being said. Justin had a picture in his mind of a delivery room thrown into total chaos as the doctor and nurses got their first look at an infant version of Vincent and his sons. Adam was picturing his parents getting their first look at a grandchild that looked like something halfway between a lion cub and a baby girl.

Nancy and Brigit could practically see the wheels turning in the furrowed brows of contemplation on Adam and Justin as they processed the implications of that final big bombshell that had been dropped by their father. Both girls were thinking the same thing. These guys had just been informed that their girlfriends were likely to produce some very unusual offspring. What guy would want to have that kind of baggage thrust on them out of left field like this?

Brigit began mentally withdrawing from Adam, building up her shields as she prepared for the inevitable breakup she could see looming ahead. The hell of it was that she had really fallen for Adam hard and she was already feeling the loss. Nancy in her own quiet way was also preparing for the expected let down. She too had fallen hard for Justin and now she was wondering how fast it was all going to fall apart.

As the silence stretched out Vincent was inundated with a maelstrom of swirling emotions. The two doctors, that he had trusted all his life, were fairly sure that the girls didn't carry the genes that produced the leonine features but it was not certain. It would have been wrong to deny the possibility. Both of these boys had been hit with some pretty deep and unsettling concepts and their emotions were in complete turmoil. His daughters' emotions were also in turmoil with despair being predominant. The thing that he also noticed, and was heartened by, was that the boys' emotions were nowhere near as negative as his daughters apparently feared they were. Maybe all was not yet lost.

Justin glanced at Nancy. He could see the barely perceptible distance she was already putting between them. "Could make things a bit interesting in the delivery room." He continued studying Nancy's face then his gaze locked onto her emerald green eyes as he expanded on his thoughts. "Sounds to me like natural child birth at home is our best option, just to be on the safe side."

Nancy opened her mouth to comment and paused, and then it snapped shut as it hit her just exactly what Justin had said. He had said 'our' best option. Was he aware of his own words? She could see from his eyes that he was almost as surprised as she felt. Then after a second she saw a smile spread slowly across his face, indicating that he knew exactly what he had said and apparently was OK with it.

Justin was as caught by surprise over what he had just said as Nancy was. He had never seriously thought that far into the future, yet now it was suddenly the only thing he was thinking about. He squeezed her hand as he continued. "We do have to think about such things if you decide that you will marry me." His eyes glittered with suppressed emotion. He couldn't believe he had just said that and now he waited anxiously, and hopefully, for her response.

The parlor was engulfed in stunned silence as the meaning of Justin's words registered with everyone else.

Adam found himself looking at his cousin in surprise then he was just as surprised when the silence was broken by his own voice. "Now hold on there cousin. You don't think I'm going to let you have all the fun, do you?" Adam could not believe he was actually saying this as he turned his attention on Brigit. He just could not stop the words that came tumbling from his mouth as he gazed hopefully into her sapphire blue eyes. "What do you think, Brigit? We could make it a double, if you're willing." It wasn't something he had been thinking about but at this moment the words felt so right. He held his breath, waiting for her reaction.

After several stunned seconds of listening for that proverbial pin to drop, both girls squealed and embraced their perspective future mates.

Adam and Justin glanced at each other and grinned then they were both fully involved with the response of their newly acquired fiancés.

Adam finally spoke. "I guess that's a yes, then?"

Brigit responded by planting a very passionate kiss on him. Nancy had a similar response for Justin.

Catherine glanced at Vincent with a bemused look on her face. "Well, I guess that went rather well; don't you think?"

Vincent just shrugged and started chuckling. The emotions he felt swirling around the four people in question left no room for doubt. This was definitely the real thing. Both boys had surprised themselves as much as they had surprised his daughters, but they both had meant what they had said once it was out.

Linda, Jennifer and Naomi came pelting down the stairs to see what the commotion was about. They paused at the bottom of the stairs taking in the scene before them. Jennifer spoke first. "I heard squealing. What happened?" Her gaze had come to rest on the two couples embracing on the long sofa.

Jacob responded to his twin sister's query. "I'm not quite sure I can explain it but, it seems that Brigit and Nancy just got themselves engaged." He shrugged.

Three jaws tried to hit the floor as the three girls reacted to the news. Linda recovered first and came over to sit down next to Jacob, nudging him in the ribs. "I told you they wouldn't let genetics come between them." She grinned. "In this family love always conquers all."

Jacob hugged his bride of four years. "It must be love." His grin widened as he felt the stirrings of his one year old son up in the nursery. "I think Devin is getting hungry."

Jacob started to get up and Linda stopped him as she stood up. "I'll get him." She ran upstairs to fetch her son.

Then the room was filled with voices as everyone started talking at once.

A few minutes later, she brought him down to meet Justin and Adam. Adam and Justin were both fascinated by the baby Devin. They both agreed that though it might pose a few problems, they would not mind if any of their children turned out like him.

~ o ~

What had been planned as a dinner built around a very uncertain introduction of the two boys to the rest of the family, turned into a major celebration of the totally unexpected double engagement.

Justin and Adam insisted that a double wedding was the only way to go. Brigit and Nancy were thrilled with the idea. Then the subject moved on to possible dates and locations.

Nancy looked a bit shyly at Justin. "Charles and Elizabeth have already claimed April. I say early spring."

Brigit jumped in as she grinned at Adam. "The earlier the better before Adam and Justin figure out what they're getting themselves into." She suggested getting a snicker from Jacob and Adam. "Maybe the first day of spring."

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Remarked Adam as he returned Brigit's gaze, a huge smile on his face. "And for the record I have already figured out what I'm getting myself into. That's why I'm so anxious to get into it."

Brigit blushed furiously as the double meaning of his words sunk in.

"Elizabeth and I are planning to get married in our rooftop garden." Charles threw out. "It's very convenient and it's private so Dad and Jacob can attend."

Catherine looked at Vincent as it hit her. "Good lord, that means we will have three of our kids all getting married this spring." She looked at her children. "I don't know if I can survive that much excitement in one season."

"We could also do it in the garden if you girls like the idea." Justin suggested.

Nancy and Brigit looked at each other a moment then broke out in huge grins. "That sounds perfect." Brigit replied.

"That way Daddy can be there to give us both away." Nancy added with delight.

Justin nodded his head. "That makes a lot of sense to me."

"Daddy . . . Oh my god!" Adam looked around in surprise. "Mom and Dad!"

Justin looked at Adam as the same thought occurred to him. "How do we tell them? Your mom and dad will want to be there."

Adam looked at Justin. "And they will also want to be there for the grandchildren." He then looked at Vincent. "That could be a problem." He paused. "If we can figure out a way, would it be alright to tell mom and dad about you?"

Vincent glanced around at his family. "They are going to have to find out sooner or later, especially if the girls are carrying more of my genetics than we currently believe. If that happens it will be a bit difficult to keep it from them when you have children. If you think they can handle . . ." Vincent indicated himself and his sons. ". . .us, then I think it will be necessary." He looked at Adam. "It will be up to you to decide if they can deal with who . . . and what, we are and all the implications that go with that."

Catherine spoke up at this point. "I think it would be a good idea for us to meet as soon as it can be arranged. I personally would like to meet your parents. From what the girls tell me, they seem to be very nice people."

Vincent concluded. "It's set then. You will judge how much they can handle and, when you feel they are ready, let us know then we will arrange to have them over for dinner so that we can all get to know each other."

_**Continued in Part 6**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	6. The Other Parents

**Down The River**_  
By Thomas Mc_

**

* * *

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**Chapter 6 : The Other Parents**

It was the next day after the boys had met the rest of the girls' family and Justin had come over to the home of Adam's parents for diner. Adam had been up half the night, trying to figure out how to tell his parents about Brigit's father and brothers. He was also just a bit worried about how his parents might feel about a marriage between him and someone with Brigit's genetic background.

Adam's parents, Sabrina and Lance, had been talking about some of the latest doings among the rest of his father's family in Colorado. His mother was an orphan so there were no relatives on that side of the family.

Lance was reporting on the latest stories that his sister had relayed about her daughter (his niece) in her last e-mail. ". . . and then she looked right at the policeman and proceeded to go into hysterics. That is when he noticed that she was very pregnant and nearly went into a panic. In the end she got off with just a warning." He chuckled. "Poor guy just didn't know what to do with the hysterical pregnant woman he suddenly had on his hands so he just let her go and beat a hasty retreat."

Sabrina jumped in. "When it comes to pregnant women, all you guys are such pushovers." She glanced at Adam and Justin. "By the way, you haven't said much about your diner at the Chandler's place yesterday."

Adam looked up from his plate. "Um, Mom, Dad . . . You know things have gotten petty serious with Brigit and Nancy?"

"Of course, Dear." Sabrina responded. "Two very lovely girls. I think you and Brigit make a very sweet couple." She addressed Justin. "The same goes for you and Nancy."

"Well, it seems that last night, Justin and I got ourselves engaged to Nancy and Brigit."

After a moment's silence, Sabrina responded. "That's . . . wonderful." Sabrina cocked her head a moment and her brow furrowed as she looked more closely at her son. "The way you just said that, it sounds like the engagement was, aahh, unexpected?" She glanced at Justin then back at Adam.

"Well . . . It did kinda come out of left field." Adam shrugged. "I hadn't even been thinking about marriage. It sorta just got blurted out before I realized what I was saying." Another shrug. "But once I realized what I had said, I also realized that it was what I really wanted. It felt so right."

Justin jumped in. "It was the same for me. I had not even considered proposing then the words just came tumbling out of my mouth but when she said yes I was elated."

Sabrina studied their faces and after a moment she smiled at them both. "In that case, congratulations."

"I guess we should make plans to meet their mother soon." Adam's father, Lance, remarked. "I know of Catherine Chandler by reputation. I admit that I look forward to meeting her in person."

Sabrina added. "It will be interesting meeting the future in-laws." She paused as she looked a bit closer at the two boys, cocked her head then continued. "There's something else that you haven't told us yet, isn't there?"

Justin cleared his throat. "Well you see . . . ah, that's the thing." He looked nervously at Adam. "There's something about the girls' father . . . aahh how do I put this?" He seemed to run out of steam.

Lance jumped in. "We've all heard about their father being an anonymous sperm donor, son. It's not really a problem."

Adam jumped in. "That's not really true, dad. Their father is very much in the picture. Their parents have been secretly married for twenty-four years." He paused for a breath. This was turning out to be more difficult than he had expected. "Their father is . . . different." He shrugged glancing over at Justin then rushed to add. "We've met him and he is actually a very nice person but his appearance is very . . . very unusual." He paused to consider his words. "His unusual appearance is apparently genetic and we do not really know if Brigit and Nancy carry those genes."

Adam's parents were both looking very confused and there was now just a hint of alarm in their expressions.

Justin stepped in. "The girls told us that, ah, only boys like their two brothers seem to end up inheriting their father's . . . very unique appearance."

Sabrina and Lance were both looking a bit more concerned now. Sabrina spoke first. "I don't understand. What is wrong with their father? Is he deformed somehow? How bad is it?" An image of the elephant man had flashed through her mind.

Adam responded. "It's not really bad . . . just, **very** different." He paused then hurried to add. "The only thing the girls seem to have gotten from their father is their unusual strength and speed." He paused again trying to think of how to describe Vincent to them without sounding crazy. "If we tried to describe his appearance to you, you would say we are crazy." He paused again. "Well, ya see, Vincent has very thick body hair and his face is . . . it looks like . . . um, well . . ." Adam took a breath.

"Vincent?" Both parents blurted out as they looked at each other in surprise.

Lance shook his head. "It couldn't be. Could it?"

Sabrina looked intently at Adam, her eyes wide in disbelief. "Their father, Vincent, does he, ah, does he kinda remind you of a lion?" It was just too absurd yet she had to ask.

Adam stared back at his parents equally surprised. "You know?"

Sabrina gazed at Adam, barely shaking her head. "Vincent has children?" She was in shock. "But . . . but I thought that was supposed to be impossible."

Lance responded. "Let me get this straight. We're talking about half-human, half-lion, with clawed hands, Vincent?" He also stared at Adam in disbelief. "And he is the father of **the** Catherine Chandler's three daughters?"

Adam pulled himself together. "Um, yes. And they also have two sons that look just like him." He continued. "That proves that it's genetic. What we don't know for sure is how much of that he passed on to the girls to possibly pop up in their children. We only know that the girls all got a small portion of his speed and strength."

Sabrina was still shaking her head. "Vincent is married with children?" She was having trouble getting past that concept.

Justin finally had to ask. "How is it that you both know about Vincent?"

Sabrina shook herself out of her shocked state and answered. "Your father was a helper for a couple of years before we got married and I grew up in the tunnels. We met at Winterfest and got married a year later."

Adam and Justin both looked puzzled as they both responded in confusion. "Helper?" "Tunnels?" "Winterfest?" "What are those?"

Lance ignored his questions and asked. "Where were you when they introduced you to Vincent?"

Justin responded. "At Catherine Chandler's place. That's where they live."

Sabrina looked at Lance. "Must have direct tunnel access."

"Tunnel access?" Justin remarked curiously.

"They didn't mention the tunnels?" Lance asked.

"No. What tunnels are you talking about?" Adam asked.

"It's not really our place to give out that information, but I'm sure you will find out soon enough if you are going to marry those two girls." Lance thought for a moment. "If there is any chance that your children might turn out like Vincent then I'm sure that you will be told about them."

"So you knew Vincent but didn't know about his family?" Adam changed the subject.

Sabrina explained. "Shortly after we were married, your father was offered a job at a company here in Connecticut and so we moved there. That was twenty-seven years ago and we haven't really kept in contact with any of the helpers that we used to know. We didn't think we would ever see that place again after we left New York."

Lance elaborated. "The last time we saw Vincent he was definitely unattached. Back then, everyone thought that, because of what he was, Vincent would never be able to have a normal relationship with a normal woman, much less having a family. They just didn't think he would be able to reproduce with a normal woman. They even said that, because of his claws and strength, it would be too dangerous for a woman to have a physical relationship with him. That was even assuming that he found a woman that would be interested in such a relationship."

Sabrina jumped in. "I would have been interested." She shrugged. "I had a bit of a crush on him before I met you." She smiled at her husband.

Adam stared at his mother in surprise. She had once had a crush on Vincent? Then he looked at his father who seemed totally unfazed by the revelation.

Justin added. "Well, Vincent is married and doing very well. His oldest son has been married for four years and has a one-year-old son of his own that looks a whole lot like his father and grandfather. His other son is engaged to the daughter of District Attorney Joe Maxwell and they plan to get married this coming April."

Lance was lost in thought for a moment then looked at Sabrina as understanding dawned. "The ten days Catherine Chandler was missing. The papers said they found her purse in the park. That must have been when she met Vincent."

"That's what Miss, ah, Misses Chandler-Wells said." Justin remarked. "It was Vincent that found her and took her to his father."

"We should call them." Sabrina remarked then paused and glanced over at the wall where a calendar hung. "Lance, next weekend is Winterfest." She looked at her husband. "I guess we should try to attend this year if Vincent will let us bring the boys." She looked at Adam. "Do you have their number?"

Adam laughed. "We have the girls' cell phones and the house phone number."

Sabrina got on the phone and called the Chandler home.

~ o ~

Catherine answered the phone and was very surprised when the caller, with an unfamiliar name at an unfamiliar number, asked to speak to Vincent.

Vincent sensed Catherine's disturbed emotions and was there next to her before she had a chance to call out for him. "Catherine what is wrong?" He asked her very quietly.

Catherine covered the mouthpiece with her hand as she responded uncertainly. "Someone I don't know named Sabrina is calling from Connecticut and has asked to speak to you." She indicated the caller ID display next to the antique parlor phone that displayed caller name, calling number and location of active cell tower.

Vincent glanced at the display, puzzled, and then took the receiver from Catherine. "This is Vincent. What can I do for you?"

There was a moment of silence at the other end then an excited female voice responded. "Vincent! It is you! Oh my god, it's been so long but I'd recognize your voice anywhere."

Vincent looked at the receiver in surprise for a second then responded. "Pardon me, but do I know you?"

"It's me, Sabrina. Surely you remember me." Vincent saw Catherine peer out at him from the kitchen doorway where she had picked up the kitchen extension. The excited female continued. "I grew up in the tunnels. I had the biggest crush on you when I was a teenager until I met Lance. You gave me away at our wedding."

It didn't take long for Vincent to remember Sabrina and Lance. She had had a huge crush on him when she was seventeen that lasted a couple of years until she met Lance. Vincent remembered how glad he was when Lance came along to capture her attention and her heart. A few days after they had left for his new job, Vincent had been up in the park thinking about Sabrina when he had found Catherine, wounded and dying on that grassy slope beside the road.

He responded. "Sabrina, of course I remember you. It has been a very long time."

"Please, don't remind me. I still only admit to being twenty-nine." Sabrina laughed.

Vincent caught the flash of _humor_ in Catherine and glanced over at her as he continued. "How are you and Lance doing these days?"

"We're doing great. We have a nice home and many good friends here. Also I have a grown son now and he is going to be getting married to a very sweet girl in a few months." Sabrina reported.

"That sounds great." Vincent paused. "So to what do I owe the honor of this call?"

"Well, it's about this girl my son is marrying." Vincent glanced at Catherine because of the spurt of _surprise_ he had sensed from her as Sabrina continued. "We just learned that the girl he's marrying is your daughter, Brigit."

Vincent was so startled he was momentarily dumbfounded. Catherine, who had been about a half step ahead of him, took over the conversation. "Your son is Adam?" She grinned at Vincent.

"Yes, I'm Adam's mother, and Justin is Lance's sister's kid. He had been staying with us while finishing up his degree." There was a pause. "Are you Catherine?"

"Guilty as charged." Catherine responded. "Are you going to come down for Winterfest next weekend?"

A male voice answered. "Lance here. We would like to come down to meet you. Sorta renew old acquaintances and get to know our future in-laws if we can make arrangements that quickly."

"No arrangements necessary, you and the boys are staying with us for the weekend." She looked to Vincent and got his nod of approval. "We have plenty of room and you can all go to Winterfest with us. It's about time your boys learned about the tunnels since they will be joining the family."

Sabrina spoke. "Oh no, we wouldn't want to impose."

Vincent spoke. "Nonsense. We would love to have you over. We have a lot of catching up to do." He chuckled. "I know the girls won't object to having the boys over for the weekend."

Catherine added. "And I'm always interested in talking with people that knew Vincent before I met him."

Vincent continued. "I should tell you that I've already learned that Catherine is a tough lawyer and usually gets her way." He grinned at the face Catherine made at him. "So it's settled. You're coming down for Winterfest and staying with us."

"Far be it from me to argue with a top lawyer." Lance replied. "I guess we will see you next weekend and I'm kinda looking forward to seeing you again."

"Great, we'll see you next Saturday." Catherine responded.

The phone call ended and Lance and Sabrina began making plans. Lance addressed the two boys. "Well, we're all starting the Christmas holidays by spending next weekend with Vincent's family."

Adam was stunned. "We are spending the weekend at Catherine Chandler's place? With Brigit and Nancy?" He looked at Justin as though looking for confirmation that he had heard correctly.

"Well, after all you are getting married soon; might as well get used to spending more time with them." Sabrina responded with a mischievous grin.

Justin and Adam grinned and high-fived each other.

~ o ~

After the phone call, Vincent had to explain to Catherine who Lance and Sabrina were. Since they had left New York two weeks before Catherine was attacked, she had never met them.

Catherine cocked her head. "So I just invited your old girlfriend to stay in our house?" She grinned. "I guess I'm going to have to keep an eye on you. Keep you out of trouble."

Vincent pulled her close. "I don't think you will have any trouble keeping my attention."

She had just relaxed into his kiss when Brigit and Nancy came into the parlor. "Ewe, Mom and Dad are kissing again." Brigit remarked.

"We just can't leave them alone for a minute." Nancy responded. "Worse than a couple of teenagers."

Catherine grinned, unrepentant. "Yea we are. By the way, we invited Adam's parents and both boys to spend next weekend with us. They will be going with us to Winterfest."

Both girls got very excited over the prospect and, while they were celebrating, Vincent stole another kiss.

_**Continued in Part 7**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	7. Changes Become Continuity

**Down The River**_  
By Thomas Mc_

**

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**Chapter **** 7 : Changes Become Continuity**

It was an hour before lunch time on Saturday. Justin and Adam stood before the now familiar brownstone door. This time they had Adam's parents, Lance and Sabrina with them. The door was opened by Catherine Chandler. "Adam, Justin. And this must be your parents. Welcome to our home. Come in, come in."

As they entered the parlor Sabrina and Lance both immediately spotted Vincent approaching from beside a large sofa group. Sabrina immediately stepped up to him and gave him a big hug. "Vincent, it's so good to see you again." She released him and backed up. "You look just as good as I remember."

Lance stepped forward and they shook hands. "Vincent, it's been so long. I can't believe how much has changed since we left New York." He chuckled. "And now it looks like we are about to become in-laws."

"Oh my!" Sabrina remarked and her jaw dropped as Jacob and Charles approached. Jacob was accompanied by his wife, Linda who was carrying their infant son. Charles was accompanied by his fiancée, Elizabeth and her parents, Joe and Samantha Maxwell. The appearance of Vincent's two sons and baby Devin had driven home the reality of Vincent's family far more effectively than anything else could have. Jacob's twin sister Jennifer came up on the other side of Jacob.

Sabrina and Lance were introduced to Joe and Sammy. Sabrina recognized Sammy from when she was a little girl. She remembered that sad Winterfest when Sammy had suffered a nearly fatal asthma attack and been banned from the tunnels. Now she was married to District Attorney Joe Maxwell and their daughter was apparently engaged to one of Vincent's sons. They were surprised and pleased to hear that, thanks to a new medicine, Sammy was now able to attend Winterfest again.

Everyone gathered up in the rooftop garden where they met Linda's parents, Chris and Sharon Gains. Chris was tending to the outdoor grill where lunch was currently being cooked. Linda's older brother, Lawrence, arrived on the roof top about a minute after everyone else.

Soon the four families were enjoying their lunch and getting to know each other. Lance and Sabrina were both fascinated by all the changes that had occurred since they had last lived in New York. A lot of the conversation centered around the story of how Joe and Sammy had met and how Joe finally figured out who Vincent was.

As soon as lunch was over, Joe and Sammy had to leave. They were heading up to Albany for a one day meeting of the state's district attorneys. They would be there to receive and discuss the latest developments in new procedures for dealing with large well organized illegal groups such as gangs and terrorists. Joe said that they would be back in plenty of time for Winterfest tomorrow night.

Chris and Sharon stuck around for a while and told the story about how they had become part of the Chandler-Wells family as a result of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center towers. The story about the rescue of Chris, his children and the rest of the people that had been trapped under the rubble with him had even those familiar with it riveted.

A little before dinner time Chris and Sharon left for a previous dinner engagement. Adam, Justin, Brigit and Nancy took off for the movies and a late dinner out.

Dinner for those still around was fairly simple and the main topic was the three engaged couples and the current status of the various wedding plans.

After dinner Jacob, Linda, Charles and Jennifer headed below. They had work to do getting the great hall ready for Winterfest. Afterward they planned to spend the night below. Vincent and Catherine had offered to watch over Devin for the night.

Catherine had a little bit of last minute detail work to do at work so she had to run down to the DA office for a couple of hours. Elizabeth went along to help. Elizabeth was planning to go to work for the District Attorneys office once she got her law degree. She hoped to one day follow in her father's footsteps. Catherine was determined to help her achieve her goal.

Lance, Sabrina and Vincent spent the rest of the evening hashing over old times and making silly faces at little Devin.

Catherine and Elizabeth got back just over two hours later. Elizabeth headed below to be with Charles. Catherine made sure that all three guest rooms were ready for her guests then joined them in the parlor.

A short time later Adam, Brigit, Justin and Nancy got back from their date. When they were all starting to wind down, Catherine showed them to the guest rooms on the second floor. She left it up to them to determine the sleeping arrangements. Lance and Sabrina retired to one of the guest rooms; the two young couples retired to the other two guest rooms.

~ x x x x x ~

Immediately after breakfast the next morning, Vincent headed below to handle last minute preparations for Winterfest.

Later that afternoon as the two families were getting to know each other they were interrupted by the doorbell. Jennifer answered the door and came back with some very surprising guests. Lance and Sabrina both recognized wealthy builder Elliot Burch and his supermodel wife Victoria Burch. The young man with them turned out to be their son and a good friend of Vincent's children. A short time later Joe and Sammy showed up followed by Chris and Sharon. Over the next couple of hours several more surprising guests showed up at the brownstone.

Adam and Justin noticed that each of the guests was carrying a very colorful candle. Adam was about to ask Brigit about the Candles when she and Nancy drew him and Justin upstairs to the library.

"What is this about?" Justin asked as they entered the library.

"We have something special for you." Nancy responded.

Each girl picked up one of the two similar colorful candles from a small reading table and presented them to the boys. Brigit started to explain. "These are Winterfest candles." Nancy continued. "They serve as your invitation as well as being an important part of the opening ceremony." Brigit finished. "When we get below, just follow our lead and everything will be fine."

Brigit took Adam's hand and smiled at him. "I'm so glad that I'm going to be able to share Winterfest with you." Brigit kissed Adam and Nancy kissed Justin. The kisses got pretty passionate for a while then the girls finally pulled back. Brigit sighed gustily. "It's just about time to head below."

Then Nancy remarked. "We had better get back to the parlor or we might get left behind." She grinned up at Justin. "Not that I would mind staying behind with you, but it would be a shame to miss the painted tunnels and the opening ceremony."

Together they headed back downstairs to the parlor. Adam noticed that his parents were now holding candles, looking at each other and sporting huge grins.

A few minutes later Catherine announced that it was time to head below. Catherine approached the wall closest to the sofa group. Adam and Justin were very surprised when a four foot wide section of the wall swung outward exposing a hidden stairway behind the wall.

As they descended into the deep tunnels beneath the park, Adam and Justin continued to gaze around in total amazement. Who could have guessed that all this, lay hidden and unknown deep beneath the city. Adam noticed that, though his parents were as surprised about the hidden door in the brownstone as he was, they took the tunnels they were now passing through completely in stride.

Soon they found themselves in a large underground chamber that in many ways resembled a school dining hall. The place was crowded to capacity. Vincent and his sons were there making sure that everyone had their Winterfest candles.

A few minutes later they all started off from the dining chamber in no particular order as a rather irregular procession. After a short distance they entered a series of long very smooth tunnels with all types of scenes painted on the wall. The procession slowed down a bit as people gazed at the murals that covered the smooth walls. As the boys looked in wonder at the seemingly endless parade of scenes, Brigit and Nancy would tell them a tiny bit of the history behind each of them.

After what seemed like a long fascinating stroll through tunnel history, they exited the painted tunnels and were soon descending a long endless staircase along one face of a great windy chasm. Finally they came to an opening into the chasm wall that was blocked by twelve foot high double doors. The doors were held closed by a huge beam of wood that looked like it must weigh several hundred pounds. Vincent stepped up to the doors and lifted that great bar away by himself. Then he pushed the great doors open and everyone filed into the dark chamber.

~ o ~

Justin and Adam looked around in undisguised amazement at the great underground chamber called the great hall. Nancy and Brigit looked on in tolerant amusement at the boys' reactions. The short trip down into the tunnels had been a revelation. The procession from the dining chamber, through the painted tunnels, down to the great hall had left them gawking like tourists trying to see everything at once. Then they had entered the great Winterfest hall and been totally blown away; first by the very moving opening ceremony; then by the hall itself once all the candles had been lit. The walls practically glitter as the minerals in the walls reflected the constantly flickering light from all the candles.

As the food was being passed out Vincent stood up and signaled for attention. Once everyone had quieted down he reached down and drew Catherine to his side then began. "First off Catherine and I would like to announce that last week our two youngest daughters became engaged. Stand up Adam and Justin." He gestured to the two boys and they stood up. "These two fine young men are soon to become members of our family."

There was general cheering then Vincent continued. "Also I wish to welcome back two friends that have come to visit after a long absence." He indicated Lance and Sabrina as they also stood. "We welcome back Adam's parents. Sabrina who grew up in these tunnels and Lance who was a helper before he stole Sabrina away from us."

"I hope you will all make these people welcome." He looked around a moment. "Enjoy the festivities." They sat down and everyone dug into the feast before them.

Some of the older tunnel residents and helpers remembered Lance and Sabrina and, after the tables had been cleared away, they renewed their acquaintance. Adam and Justin also got plenty of attention from everyone as newcomers to the Chandler-Wells family and the tunnels.

The center of the chamber was quickly cleared and the hall was soon filled with music as couples began to dance in the cleared area. For a while Adam, Justin, Brigit and Nancy wandered around the edges of the party looking at all the other forms of entertainment available besides dancing. They watched a young man doing magic tricks for the children. He was apparently still learning under the guidance of a white-haired older gentleman named Sebastian. They also lingered over several people playing various board and card games. They took part in a fast paced game of Uno that was made up of constantly changing players.

Out on the dance floor Sabrina was temporarily partnered with Vincent, Catherine with Elliot, and Lance with Victoria. Brigit and Nancy took the hands of their future husbands and drew them out onto the dance floor. It turned out that Adam had taken many lessons on various types of dancing and was a very good dancer. Justin had not had lessons like Adam but he was still pretty good at the most popular types of dance, particularly the country western styles.

Later Nancy and Brigit took the boys on a guided tour of the great hall pointing out the various tapestries and the back kitchen area at the top of the back stairway where a bit of making out was accomplished. Then they sat out for a while on the back stairway and watched the revelry that was going on around them. There was a fair share of snuggling going on while they were resting on those stairs.

Adam and Justin managed to stay all the way through to the closing ceremony at midnight, where they were both welcomed into the circle of all those that had stuck it out to the end. Lance and Sabrina had already called it a night about an hour and a half earlier.

After the great doors had been closed and barred, the two young couples made their way to two guest chambers that had been set aside for them. For Adam and Justin, the fascination of spending the night in the tunnel's guest chambers quickly gave way to the romance of spending it with their fiancés.

~ x x x x x ~

**March 21 2015**

Adam looked out over the brownstone's rooftop garden as he and Justin reached their assigned positions beside the minister. He nudged Justin and nodded towards some of the more distinguished guest attending their wedding. Mixed in among the several people from the tunnels, he had recognized Elliot Burch, the wealthy builder, and his Supermodel wife, Victoria Burch. He had heard that they had also been married in this very same rooftop garden. Next to them sat Joe and Samantha Maxwell. Next to Joe and 'Sammy', as she was called, sat Adam's own parents and finally Catherine Chandler next to the center aisle. Behind Catherine sat Linda's family and beside them was Catherine's best friend Jenny and her FBI agent husband James McClendon. Adam was still amazed that the head of the New York office of the FBI was actually in on the whole secret. Brigit and Nancy's family may harbor a very dangerous secret but they also had some powerful people helping to protect that secret. Adam and Justin were in very good company today.

There was a momentary drop in the light level and both boys glanced up at the sun that kept ducking in and out among the scattered rain clouds. There had been occasional light sprinkles all morning but so far the weather was holding and the cloudiness combined with the gentle breeze had kept it from getting too hot. Hopefully the mild weather would hold for just a little longer, at least until the wedding was over.

The music started. Adam and Justin looked toward the back of the garden and saw the two brides emerge from the roof access doorway. As the two brides, escorted by Vincent, slowly advanced towards the boys, Adam and Justin gazed lovingly at them and drank in their beauty. The girls were wearing identical wedding dresses. That had been the girls' idea and it had taken a lot of looking before they had found a style that they both really liked. Even the brides' bouquets were identical.

Brigit was on Vincent's left arm and Nancy was on his right arm. Then Adam realized that they were reversed. He glanced over to his right at Justin who had just noticed the same thing. When the girls reached the boys, there was a moment of humor as the girls switched sides just as the boys also started to switch sides. Several snickers were heard from the guests as the minor mix-up was finally corrected.

After a moment's pause the minister conquered his own amusement then began. "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God and these friends and family, to join these two couples in holy matrimony. A state which is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly - but reverently and solemnly. Into this holy estate these two couples have come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together – let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

There was the usual pregnant pause broken by a cough from Jacob, which brought a glare from Brigit. Then the minister continued. "Marriage is the union of husband and wife in heart, body and mind. It is intended for their mutual joy and for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity"

There was another short pause. "Who gives these women in marriage to these men?"

"Their mother and I do." Vincent replied as he gave the two brides away then moved to his place beside Catherine.

The minister gave a short talk about the responsibilities and benefits of marriage. Then came the standard pledge. "Do you Adam and Justin take Brigit and Nancy to be your wife in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor her, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward?"

Adam and Justin answered simultaneously. "I will."

"Do you Brigit and Nancy take Adam and Justin to be your Husband in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor him, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward?"

Brigit and Nancy answered simultaneously. "I will."

The two couples faced each other before the minister. Adam and Brigit clasped hands while Justin and Nancy clasped hands. The wedding vows had been worked out by all four of them together and been carefully rehearsed.

Adam and Justin recited their vows simultaneously. "From the moment my cousin and I saw you and your sister on the river we have been drawn to your beauty and your uniqueness. You have taught us much about ourselves by giving us your love. You have opened our eyes to the wonder that lay unseen around us and changed our lives. You have offered us the world and a future of beauty and magic. Here and now, we pledge our love and our lives to you from this day forward." The boys both placed the rings on the fingers of their brides and continued together. "With this ring I seal my pledge to you of my heart, my soul and my future."

Then Brigit and Nancy recited their vows, also simultaneously. "From the moment you picked us up on that river my sister and I have been drawn to your steadfast acceptance of our uniqueness. You have taught us much about ourselves by giving us your love. You have opened our eyes to the type of acceptance that we did not know existed. You have offered us the world and a future of beauty and love. Here and now, we pledge our love and our lives to you from this day forward." The brides placed the rings on the finger of their husbands and continued together. "With this ring I seal my pledge to you of my heart, my soul and my future."

The minister smiled upon the couples. "In as much as these two couples have consented together in marriage before this company of friends and family and have pledged their faith are now joined. You have pronounced yourselves husband and wife but remember to always be each other's best friend." He turned his attention to the guests. "What God has joined together - let no man put asunder."

The minister returned his attention to the couples. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you, Adam and Brigit, husband and wife, and I pronounce you, Justin and Nancy, husband and wife. Husbands, you may kiss your brides."

Both couples kissed to the cheers of the wedding guests. Then they led the guests down to the brownstone's parlor for the reception. Just as the last of the guests passed inside, the skies opened up and the rain fell on the empty rooftop garden.

The reception offered a nice selection of light finger foods and some very fine wines. The music was controlled by a DJ located in the third floor library and was piped throughout the brownstone's high quality sound system.

As it got close to time for the couples to leave on their honeymoon, Vincent offered a toast. "Like today's rain, may all of life's problems arrive a minute too late, after you have already moved beyond their reach." He paused and Lance added his wish for the couples. "And may your lives together be filled with joy and love and just a little bit of magic."

A half an hour later the new couples had to leave to catch their honeymoon flight to Hawaii and the beginning of a new life.

**_THE END_**

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


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